Two F-35 fighter jets from Hill Air Force Base conducted an air strike Tuesday in Iraq, marking the first time this particular aircraft has fought in a combat mission.
The F-35A Lightning IIs attacked a Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL) tunnel network and weapons cache inside the Hamrin Mountains near Wadi Ashai, Iraq, according to a news release from the Air Force base.
The ISIS compound was located where enemy fighters could “threaten friendly forces,” the release said. The strike was part of Operation Inherent Resolve.
The F-35s — which deployed alongside active duty service members in the 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings — arrived in the United Arab Emirates to join the Combined Forces Air Component team in the U.